PRISM and Christian council oppose appointment of Kummanam Rajasekharan as Mizoram governor

Aizawl: People’s Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) and Global Council of Indian Christian have vehemently opposed the appointment of Kummanam Rajasekharan as the governor of Mizoram on the ground that he is an “active politician and a radical Hindu”.

A press statement issued by the anti-corruption watchdog turned political party PRISM on Sunday expressed dislike against Rajasekharan saying “he is not suitable “for the governor of Mizoram as “he is an active member of RSS and that he was actively involved with Hindu Aikyavedi and Vishwa Hindu Parishad”.

The party also said the appointment of Rajasekharan as the state governor “could have impact on the state politics as he is actively involved in politics”.

Mizoram is due for assembly elections in the later part of this year.

In a surprise move, the centre on late Friday evening appointed senior BJP leader from Keral Kummanam Rajasekharan as the governor of Mizoram. He will replace Lt. Gen (Rtd) Nirbhay Sharma, who is completing his tenure on 28 May. Rajasekharan was BJP president of Kerela state. He was heading Hindu Aikyavedi when he was appointed president of state BJP unit two years ago.

Meanwhile, and Global Council of Indian Christian on Sunday appealed to the president of India to replace Rajasekharan by a sober and a fair-minded person.

A statement issued by the council said that Christians of Mizoram in particular and those of the whole of India in general feels disturbed and very much let down with the latest move by the BJP led central government in appointing hard-core Hindutava fundamentalist like Kummanam Rajasekharan as the new governor of Mizoram where 87 per cent of its people are Christians.

The council alleged that it was deliberately done with a specific purpose to create disharmony in the state and then fish in the troubled waters by appointing Rajasekharan to such high position with a long questionable track of record.

“Mizoram has won awards consecutively during the last few years, as the most peaceful state in the country and Rajasekharan is not suitable to be the governor of a peaceful and peace loving state like Mizoram,” a statement issued by the council said.

It alleged that the fact that the BJP in Kerala wishes for a more pragmatic leader to take over as the party president, very much implies that Rajasekharan is a hardcore fundamentalist, ruthless and uncompromising in respect of any deal concerning non-Hindus, and hence making it abundantly clear that he would be unacceptable to fair minded people anywhere in the country in general.

The council also alleged that the BJP leader was made governor to try similar tricks which he had already done in Kerala, as the head of the state to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere without any restraints in Mizoram.

It further alleged that Rajasekharan rose to the leadership of Hindu Aikyavedi by organizing the notorious Nilackal protests in 1983.

“Indeed, such a person will never let an opportunity to pass to take his ire against Christians, if a similar opportunity were to arise in Mizoram as the Governor of a majority Christian stater,” the statement said.

The council appealed to the president of India Ram Nath Kovind to cancelRajasekharan’s appointment as governor of Mizoram or replaced him by a sober and more acceptable person in the name of equity and fair play for the good of the simple and peace loving people of Mizoram.